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-AJ-

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Everything posted by -AJ-

  1. Finally moved out on my own! It's a weird feeling.

    1. Show previous comments  6 more
    2. luckylager

      luckylager

      Pizza

      Beer

       

      Do it!

    3. Master 112

      Master 112

      I'm pretty sure you can get a tax reduction on your first pizza there, now that lucky mentions it.

    4. smithers joe

      smithers joe

      you better keep your pants, just in case you have to move back home.   

  2. Personally, I'm keeping my expectations modest for Virtanen. I'd be happy if he gets 30 points. I could see him approaching 40, but even 30 would be a good step forward for him.
  3. -AJ-

    Ben Hutton | #27 | D

    Great article by PITB on Hutton today: https://www.vancourier.com/pass-it-to-bulis/the-curious-case-of-benjamin-hutton-1.23422818?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=facebook TDLR: Hutton was great defensively, but absolutely horrid offensively. Like a black hole. Negative offense. Worse than Tanev. This comes as quite a surprise, because he's advertised as a puck-moving guy, but seemed to be worst in those areas. I'm eager to see how he develops this year.
  4. What a lucky lady. Somehow I enjoy seeing a guy get married at a younger age like him. They'll likely have a long great life together.
  5. -AJ-

    Ben Hutton | #27 | D

    Sounds like to me he's talking about Canuck Clay's video. Same guy who does regular vlogs that he shares on CDC. I think that video was several years back though, so I'm sure Clay's learned from then I suppose.
  6. -AJ-

    Ben Hutton | #27 | D

    As garbage as Ben was last year, I still think he has a very high ceiling and I'd be pumped if he has a big bounce back year.
  7. Jake was a spoiled brat when he first arrived in Vancouver, but he's matured nicely into a professional in the last few years. He's still got more to do, but it's an encouraging trend.
  8. Late last year, I said that if Goldy didn't pick up his game for the last two weeks, he was done in my eyes. He picked up his game. His last 11 games had 7 points, while his first 27 games also had just 7 points. His game improved a ton in the last few weeks and if he keeps that up, I think he can lock down a 2nd line spot playing some good minutes. That said, if this was just a splash and he's got nothing more and is back to his old self, then he's done and will probably return to Russia to play in the KHL at some point during, or after this season.
  9. While packing up a bit for my moving day, I found some old stories I wrote, including some very short hockey ones. My writing on hockey has improved a bit since I was 12 years old.

  10. I gave you a +1 rep too to make it more even.
  11. Brock's the kind of guy that I'd love my future kids to look up to. He and Bo are the perfect kids to carry on the legacy of the twins.
  12. Funnily enough, I was ready to come on here and comment on the hypocrisy of fans complaining when we get shafted and praising the NHL Network when they praise us, but I suppose it's still not enough, haha (admittedly I've complained a bit too).
  13. EP should be 2 IMO, but Dahlin looks like a franchise defenseman who could be one of the league's best some day. It's possible Pettersson ends up the better player, but I'd bet on Dahlin for now. Dahlen did lead his team, but it was in a lower level league and he's already 20, so expectations are higher for him. Heiskanen is a year younger than OJ Gaudette is 21 and one of the older players on the list. Not sure why Makar is over Hughes... I can agree with you on that one. Demko should probably be on the list too, but it seems that age was a very big factor to them.
  14. Demko continues to be underrated all over the place. Guess he's too old to be excited about for a lot of people. I'm honestly baffled that Dahlin isn't the only guy ahead of Pettersson. Not sure how Svech beat him. EDIT: I also think Mittelstadt might be too low (I'd put him above Heiskanen). I think he and Pettersson are my top two favourites for the Calder this year.
  15. Great to see that Jake was part of CAN's Fishing For Kids event this year. He's changed so much since he joined the main team almost three years ago. He's definitely maturing in so many ways, which I think will certainly help his on-ice game a bit too.
  16. -AJ-

    Sam Gagner | C/W

    I strongly agree with this sentiment, but still think Gagner should do a bit more to earn his salary.
  17. Boy, time sure crawls on the Friday before a long weekend. 

    1. Shift-4

      Shift-4

      and then blows by in the next 72 hours

    2. NewbieCanuckFan

      NewbieCanuckFan

      -AJ- was the real life inspiration for the main lead in the "Drew Carey Show":

       

       

  18. I have so much anxiety over asking if I can leave work early due to not feeling well, because I'm on the fence about whether I should stay or not (I may be okay enough too stay; I'm not sure). I don't want to be perceived as lazy if I'm not feeling poorly enough to leave. 

    1. Show previous comments  5 more
    2. Twilight Sparkle

      Twilight Sparkle

      im the same lmao. when you know youre sick and need to call in sick you play scenarios in your head like, ok im not going to let boss intimidate me and go in, and then boss talks you in to going in anyways and youre like oh come on XD

    3. RRypien37

      RRypien37

      @-AJ-Don't let fear control your life 

    4. MJDDawg

      MJDDawg

      AJ, I hear ya. Sometimes it's our own work ethic, sometimes it's the pressure to impress your boss. But health comes first. Last year I went to work with a fever because someone on my team was on vacation and I needed to be at the office. Got on the train feeling crappy and within 2 stops next thing I remember was looking up at people. I basically blacked out. Was escorted off the train and went back home.  

       

      Here's the thing. The business will still be there running with or without you so take care of yourself first.

  19. Reserved. I'll be back to post either during pre-season or right after it. I did remarkably well last year in this (considering the overall difficulty), so here's hoping I can do well again. 09/30/18: (Edited 10/01/18 for Gagner waiving) Here we go: Comments on my predictions: Forwards B. Boeser – Starts off slow, but does pick it up by mid-season. Still ends the year with a notably lower points-per-game than last year, but does pass the 30-goal mark. B. Horvat – Becomes what most consider to be the best player on the team. Despite Boeser scoring more goals and points, Horvat’s complete game and leadership lead most fans to think of him as the team’s best player. Leads the team in scoring (both goals and points) until Boeser catches up in February. E. Pettersson – Does not disappoint in his rookie season. Becomes a key part of the powerplay and the primary setup man. Finishes 3rd in Calder voting. Leads the team in assists. S. Baertschi – Is grateful to still remain on the first line and continues to mesh well with Horvat and Boeser. Also works well with Pettersson on the 1st PP unit. Very slightly increased offensive production compared to last year. Misses a few games due to injury. N. Goldobin – Has a somewhat breakout year. Still plays a streaky game, but shows far more consistency than years past. Also proves to be a much harder worker now. B. Sutter – His game suffers a bit with Beagle taking some of his role away. He shows some dissatisfaction throughout the season and frustration with his role. Still has a decent season, but not quite like his previous two years. L. Eriksson – Has a slightly worse year than last year, but still better than 2016-17. Still much maligned by fans. S. Gagner – Gets periodic call-ups and is okay, but doesn't play well enough to merit him staying in the lineup. B. Leipsic – Settles nicely into a bottom six role and provides a much-needed spark. J. Virtanen – Somewhat disappoints by not becoming the point scorer some hope. His abrasive style gets him a suspension at some point in the season and he also suffers from some injuries. His point production (per game) is still a bit up from last year. Will take tons of dumb penalties and end up with 150 PIM. J. Beagle – Performs as expected. Misses 11 games from minor injuries. Fans love his defense and hard work; he's basically Ryan Johnson 2.0. A. Roussel – Can’t provide the offense he used to, but still provides the grit. T. Schaller – His 12-goal season looks like a flash in the pan, as he struggles to be noticeable on the team. He’s a healthy scratch fairly often. D. Archibald – Gets called up due to injuries. Has good flashes, but then disappears. B. Gaunce – Called up due to injuries and shows more offensive flair than before, but is sent down again due to competition. M. Granlund – A similar Granlund to last year, but settles more into a defensive role. Defensemen A. Edler – Regresses a bit again, but not to the lows of his worst days. Still remains one of our best defensemen. T. Stecher – Has a big bounce back year and wins the Babe Pratt trophy because fans like to ride the hype train of young players. M. Del Zotto – Starts to become a healthy scratch as he works his way into Green’s doghouse. Produces on offense, but has horrid defense. C. Tanev – Is our best defenseman, but only plays 48 games due to his annual injury woes. Leads the team in +/- with +6. B. Hutton – Has a big bounce back year, but still doesn’t perform super well. A step in the right direction though. D. Pouliot – Trades healthy scratches with Del Zotto (and sometimes Hutton). Can’t provide consistent play all year long. Has flashes of offensive brilliance, but then they fade away again. E. Gudbranson – Continues to be polarizing. Still can’t put up points to save his life, but provides a much-needed physical presence. A. Biega – Used for injury call ups. Same old Biega. Goaltenders J. Markstrom – Is about the same as last year. A little more clutch in tight situations though. A. Nilsson – Just as bad, if not worse than last year. Somehow has 6 OT/SO losses in only 26 games played. Cannot be relied on in clutch situations at all. T. Demko – Plays in three games near the end of the year and shows promise. Nilsson leaves via free agency in the summer and Demko is the planned replacement. Demko is also the AHL’s top goaltender. Other Comments The Killer Bs line and Pettersson are about the only exciting things about the Canucks this year as they cruise to a worse record than last year. They finish very similarly to last year with slightly worse goals for and goals against numbers. End up finishing 29th in the league and “winning” the 5th overall pick. Fans complain about it because they don't understand lottery odds. The team is plagued by injuries as only Brandon Sutter plays all 82 games and only three players play 80 or more games. Utica makes the playoffs but is eliminated in the 2nd round. Canucks special teams are solid, but 5-on-5 is brutally bad. Powerplay finishes 12th in the league and Penalty Kill finishes 15th. Gaudette, Palmu, Dahlen, and Juolevi are left in the AHL despite fans clamouring for them to get an NHL shot. The Canucks go with three alternates for the year in Horvat, Edler, and Sutter. They’ll name Horvat the captain at the start of 2019-20. TSN has articles all year about how badly the Canucks are rebuilding. The Leafs are knocked out in the 2nd round of the playoffs. Green starts to become disliked by fans, just like what happens to every coach in history.
  20. That's quite optimistic. I'd place him at about 16 goals and maybe 24 assists for about 40 points. Betting he'll get 50+ points is possible, but very unlikely, I'd say.
  21. Considering what they're paid, Gagner probably does get you a better bang for your buck, but Eriksson was quite a bit better last year IMO.
  22. I had no idea who we was when we signed him, haha. I too had to look him up. But then, I am notorious for only closely following the Canucks. I almost never watch games for other teams unless it's the Stanley Cup Final or something.
  23. I see too many fans in my opinion who are still assuming he was as bad this last year as he was in 2016-17. He had a marked improvement last year and some salty fans refuse to see it for some reason.
  24. I already posted this as a status update, but I thought I'd add it here too: It's almost scary how similar Ilya Kovalchuk and Brock Boeser's rookie seasons were: Kovalchuk: 65 games 29 goals 22 assists 51 points -19 +/- Played for 30th place Thrashers 2nd in Calder voting Boeser: 62 games 29 goals 26 assists 55 points -5 +/- Played for 26th place Canucks 2nd in Calder voting
  25. I just noticed that Ilya Kovalchuk and Brock Boeser had nearly identical rookie seasons:

     

    Kovalchuk: 

    65 games

    29 goals

    22 assists

    51 points

    2nd in Calder voting

     

     

    Boeser:

    62 games

    29 goals

    26 assists

    55 points

    2nd in Calder voting

    1. Show previous comments  8 more
    2. nuckin_futz
    3. -AJ-

      -AJ-

      It's also worth noting that Boeser's numbers are in three less games and he has more assists...Kovalchuk had 98 points and 52 goals twice. #100pointsforBoeser

    4. Wilbur

      Wilbur

      A neat comparable, but don't neglect the fact that Kovalchuk was about 2 years younger his rookie season

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